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Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternatives: 3 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Microsoft Dev Tunnels: still a public preview with no service-level agreement, and meant for development, not production traffic. We ranked 3 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Microsoft Dev Tunnels, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. ngrok currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1ngrok logongrokFree plan + paidNoWindows, macOS, Linux4 of 466.5
2Cloudflare Tunnel logoCloudflare TunnelFree plan + paidNoWindows, macOS, Linux5 of 562.6
3Tailscale logoTailscaleFree plan + paidYesWindows, macOS, Linux +24 of 450.3
  1. ngrok logo

    1. ngrokTop pick

    Best for: Developers who need a public URL for a local app or webhook test in seconds

    Free plan + paidWindows, macOS, Linux

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Microsoft Dev Tunnels

    More mature service with a request inspector, custom domains and production-ready plans.

    Pros

    • One command gives a local app a public HTTPS URL
    • Request inspector and replay help when debugging webhooks
    • Can grow into production use with custom domains, auth and policies

    Cons

    • Free plan is tight, with a one-time credit and a warning page on HTTP endpoints
    • Custom domains need the Pay-as-you-go plan
    • Usage-based billing is harder to predict than a flat fee
    Visit ngrok Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is ngrok a good Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    Yes, $0 with one-time credit
    Checked Oct 25, 2026ngrok.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    Hobbyist, $10/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026ngrok.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Team plan
    Pay-as-you-go, $20/month + usage
    Checked Oct 25, 2026ngrok.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Custom domains
    Pay-as-you-go and up
    Checked Oct 25, 2026ngrok.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Cloudflare Tunnel logo

    2. Cloudflare Tunnel

    Best for: Self-hosters and developers who want a free, stable way to publish services without opening ports

    Free plan + paidWindows, macOS, Linux

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Microsoft Dev Tunnels

    Free and production-grade, with stable hostnames on your own domain and Cloudflare's protection.

    Pros

    • Available on Cloudflare's free plan
    • No open inbound ports; traffic gets Cloudflare's CDN and DDoS protection
    • Quick Tunnels give a temporary URL with no account
    • Works for SSH and RDP as well as web apps

    Cons

    • Stable hostnames require a domain using Cloudflare DNS
    • No built-in request inspector like ngrok's
    • All traffic passes through and is decrypted at Cloudflare
    Visit Cloudflare Tunnel Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Cloudflare Tunnel a good Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Plans
    Available on all plans
    Checked Oct 25, 2026developers.cloudflare.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Quick Tunnels
    No account or domain needed
    Checked Oct 25, 2026developers.cloudflare.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Connection model
    Outbound-only
    Checked Oct 25, 2026developers.cloudflare.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Protocols
    HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, SSH, RDP
    Checked Oct 25, 2026developers.cloudflare.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Client license
    Apache-2.0 (cloudflared)
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Tailscale logo

    3. Tailscale

    Best for: Developers, home-labbers and teams who want private access between their own devices

    Free plan + paidOpen sourceWindows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android

    50.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Microsoft Dev Tunnels

    Share a local service privately with your own devices, or publicly through Funnel, without leaving your network.

    Pros

    • Works through NAT and firewalls with almost no setup
    • Generous free plan for personal use
    • Fine-grained access controls and built-in SSH

    Cons

    • Coordination server is hosted unless you run Headscale
    • Not a location-changing VPN by default
    • Team pricing adds up per user
    Visit Tailscale Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.346
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Tailscale a good Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    Yes, Personal plan
    Checked Oct 25, 2026tailscale.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan users
    Up to 6 users
    Checked Oct 25, 2026tailscale.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Client licence
    BSD-3-Clause
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Platforms
    macOS, iOS, Windows, Linux, Android
    Checked Oct 25, 2026tailscale.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

ngrok logo

Best Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternative for most people

ngrok

More mature service with a request inspector, custom domains and production-ready plans.

Cloudflare Tunnel logo

Best Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Cloudflare Tunnel

Free and production-grade, with stable hostnames on your own domain and Cloudflare's protection.

Tailscale logo

Best Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternative for open source

Tailscale

Share a local service privately with your own devices, or publicly through Funnel, without leaving your network.

ngrok logo

Best Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternative for Mac

ngrok

More mature service with a request inspector, custom domains and production-ready plans.

ngrok logo

Best Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternative for Windows

ngrok

More mature service with a request inspector, custom domains and production-ready plans.

ngrok logo

Best Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternative for Linux

ngrok

More mature service with a request inspector, custom domains and production-ready plans.

Tailscale logo

Best Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternative for iPhone and Android

Tailscale

Share a local service privately with your own devices, or publicly through Funnel, without leaving your network.

Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Microsoft Dev Tunnels?

ngrok ranks first right now. More mature service with a request inspector, custom domains and production-ready plans. Cloudflare Tunnel and Tailscale follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Microsoft Dev Tunnels?

Yes. ngrok (free plan + paid), Cloudflare Tunnel (free plan + paid) and Tailscale (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Microsoft Dev Tunnels?

Yes: Tailscale.

Which Microsoft Dev Tunnels alternatives work on Linux?

ngrok, Cloudflare Tunnel and Tailscale run on Linux.

Why do people switch from Microsoft Dev Tunnels?

The complaints we hear most: still a public preview with no service-level agreement; meant for development, not production traffic; requires an account; no anonymous quick start.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Microsoft Dev Tunnels, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.